Blackburn Rovers go into the summer transfer window needing to bolster a few positions – one of them being central midfield.
Jon Dahl Tomasson has already seen Tyler Morton’s loan deal from Liverpool expire. Bradley Dack faces an uncertain summer ahead, and Adam Wharton could well be snapped up by a Premier League side, so Tomasson may need to sign a few central players in the summer months.
And one who could yet be available and who could also be a really shrewd signing is QPR’s Stefan Johansen. The former Celtic and Fulham man has fallen out of favour under new QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth and a recent report has suggested that Johansen could be moved on.
The 55-cap Norwegian international is a classy midfield player. He’s widely recognised as one of the more technically-gifted midfielders in the Championship and his start to this season reaffirmed that. But in a more direct Ainsworth set-up, Johansen hasn’t been favoured.
Johansen featured 29 times in the Championship season just concluded. He scored twice and assisted six, with all of his goal contributions coming in the first few weeks of the campaign when Michael Beale was at the helm. Beale played a similar style to Tomasson which was fast-paced and expansive, and that suited Johansen down to the ground, so Johansen could well be a perfect fit for this current Rovers side.
And given the departure of Morton, and the potential departures of the likes of Dack and Wharton, Johansen’s experience and presence in the middle could be so beneficial for Rovers next season. There’s some question marks over the 32-year-old’s fitness, having spent time on the sidelines this season, but he looked as good as he ever has at the start of this season and he’s been available since January now.
If Johansen really is on the chopping block this summer, Blackburn could be the perfect destination.
